Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-04-12

The Stove Curious Object-Simplicity
Of tho Sleeping Places-A Look at
tho Native Houscs-Crawling into q
Hut.
We came back to Fort Wrangle on the
General, on her return from Glacier bay,
when we landed and went on board the
United States steamer Corwin, and set out
for Sit1a.
On our arrival at the capital OF this i'm
mense northwestern possession Of ours, we
were greeted with true Arctic manner. A
clustering north wind hurled cloud Of
snow in our faces, and covered the deck Of
our vessel with snow and hail. We were
obliged to lie of the port until the next
morning, tho storm continuing all night.
We landed ON terra firma twelve hours
efter our arrival. We found the people
living here to be thorough mixture OF
races and decidedly peculiar Hero was
the Russian, and the Aelut from the ada
cent islands. Siberia, Finland, and the
Lsquimau were all represented, together
with q race that comes from the intermar
rage of tho Russians with the natives.
We were assigned a room for cooking and
sleeping, and the first object OF curiosity
Was tA-G QUO u All StOEto- tAjtifO lIlc Oiit->
we brought with us, are box-like articles
built of fragments OF stone, cernCnted to-
gether vita clay mortar A wood fire is
built, and 4 liberal supply of fuel IS added,
until the entire mass is at glaring red heat
The Goals and ashes are then removed, a
close fitting Ganper is placed cross the fiue
so as 80 prevent the escape Of the heat by
cool cir passing rapidly through the stove
4 ,,l5, u. ~
ing and heating apparatus is in order for
the next twenty-four hours.
An irnlne,ise amount of cooking can ba
done on large one. If The party be too
large, there are cookhouses, Of which there
is at least one in every small village.
THE SLEEPING PLACES.
The sleeping places here are equally sim
pie; n platform against the side Of the
room, two feet above the floor and seven
feet long, serves as a bed. Tho lodger has
but 10 take lis reindeer skin with toe hair
on, sewed up at one end in form like a bag,
jump in, lay his head on q bag of feathers,
draw over him pair of blankets, and
sleep. Sheets, counterpanes, unGcrbeGis,
and that sort Of sleep arrangement, arc un-
known and unwished for in this rcgaon.
The whole coast is dependent upon hlasi;.s
great river, the Stecheon, for wool and
lumber. With this father OF Alaslla's
waters we shall soon become familiar.
We viii take look at the native houses
before We start inland. You see roof
fifteen feet square, from tho center OF
which, through hole, the smoke is pouring
out. That is a native house, but no door
is visible or even a window, as it contains
neither, and, in passing all round it, you
will find only solid ground. Here is a
shed few yards from the house, and, On
entering it, you find a hole in the ground.
Getting down on your hands and knees is
singular and undigniied way of entering
house, but we proceed. Crawling through
the underground passage, we finally reach
the end, and, pushing aside the sealskln, we
enter the hut. Everything entering this
house or going out has to pass this way,
and, judging from tho smell, something
ought TO 20 out that does not.
Part Of the floor is covered with spruce
branches, over which woven grass mats
are spread. Here tho NANTES sit, eat,
and sleep, and it is not difficult for one to
infer that q short call would be mora
agreeable than long one 20 q stranger TN
used TO such scenes and odors Her bert
Bartlett in The Current